Wind wallops Valley

Tuesday

Apr 9, 2013 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Alarms tripped, power lines fell and two people were reported injured within two minutes of one another by falling trees in different parts of the city Monday. Meanwhile, children, older adults and those with respiratory problems were advised to avoid the blowing dust as high winds came roaring through the Valley.

Joe Goldeen

STOCKTON - Alarms tripped, power lines fell and two people were reported injured within two minutes of one another by falling trees in different parts of the city Monday. Meanwhile, children, older adults and those with respiratory problems were advised to avoid the blowing dust as high winds came roaring through the Valley.

First responders and utility crews were kept busy heading out to numerous fire alarms triggered by the winds and downed overhead lines, while several trees were uprooted throughout the city. Most of the upheaval in San Joaquin County appeared to be centered in Stockton.

Between 11 a.m. and noon, sustained north-northwest winds of 30 mph were recorded at Stockton Metropolitan Airport, with gusts reaching 44 mph. During that same hour, at least two large trees fell in the city, causing minor injuries.

The Stockton Fire Department reported receiving a call at 11:35 a.m. Monday that a tree fell in the 500 block of Caribrook Way near Calandria Street, just missing a 40-year-old man who complained of a minor injury from jumping out of the way. Two minutes later, firefighters responded to the 8500 block of Kelley Drive where a 100-foot pine tree was uprooted, falling into a court and resulting in a minor injury to a 37-year-old man. A city crew was called in to repair a damaged water line.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. line crews were kept busy throughout the day responding to problems.

PG&E spokeswoman Jana Morris said that in the 24 hours prececding 8 p.m. Monday the power company dealt with 131 separate outages in the Stockton and Yosemite divisions. Those outages affected 10,000 customers, including about 2,000 for more than one minute.

Today, the National Weather Service is calling for another sunny, blustery day, but the breezes should be lighter. Wind speeds are expected to be 13 to 23 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. The high temperature is forecast to hit 72 degrees.

The blowing dust prompted Valley air pollution officials to issue a cautionary statement covering the period through Monday evening:

"Winds will be especially gusty and strong over the western and northern parts of the district. Winds may produce areas of localized blowing dust, which can result in unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter 10 microns and smaller (PM10). Exposure to particulate pollution can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis, and increase risk of respiratory infections," according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

Residents with respiratory problems, including heart and lung disease, were being advised to follow their doctors' advice for dealing with exposure to particulate matter.

And more vulnerable residents, such as older adults and children, were cautioned to avoid prolonged exposure to the dust or heavy exertion outside.

The air district provides more information on its website at valleyair.org. Concerned residents can call its Modesto office at (209) 557-6400.